Itaria No Shintaku

After being really busy we're back on the track.

NEW ROUND READY - voted for my very first LEGO castle set!

I may not understand your question.

NEW ROUND IS OPEN! I voted 6079

I'm pretty happy that people are voting and the game is liked. I was really doubful since it's quite time demanding to follow it, but that's fine as long as people find it funny and play.

So here are the results for the fourth voting: We will have a playoff later! Now onto the next round. I'll try to update the game as often as I can. Playing is easy, vote your favourite castle set among the one random.org proposes me. 216 left entries in the game. 2 go on, 6 are eliminated. ROUND 1 GROUP 6 is the following 4 days to vote in order to gather more people. Have fun voting! (Pictures here are just a reference, if you are unsure, google the set number, I'm presenting them in the poll in the same order I put them into the picture) You can reply here in the comments to tell me who you voted and why.

Hello, probably I'm not good at searching the forum , but I heard that this is the last season for Ninjago. Can someone confirm? Because in italian "latest" and "last" are the same word. So it's difficult for me to understand. I hope it's not.

Yes, I have had my dues, but I'm here. Changing city and job, never easy, I'll take the game poll in charge too asap. Thanks for asking.

This is it: to ensure that you are able to back the project, the money is pre-withdrawn from your creditcard. Which doesn't mean that you spent it. Suppose you have $1500 per month, you now have $1300 because 200$ are ready should ever the product go in production phase. But they do not withdrawn $200 from your account until the goal is achieved. Once it is, the money goes and you restore your credit card monthly limit.

Because otherwise it would be very hard to refund you if they don't meet the goal.

I just felt like "If that is worth $200 what are my MOCs worth?". It's a nice set don't get me wrong, but really? $200? THREE minifigures, loosely looking like castle ones? No way Jose

AFAIK there aren't.

I was going to buy that set. Saw the price. Said nvm.

While I agree on 99% of what you said, there are ways in which customizers do not play nice towards so-called purists, and this is when they put counterfeits on the market. Which happens, just some short times ago knowing the value of Series 18 Policeman, I knew for sure people who were printing them (after all it's just printing a black torso and a 1x2 white tile, the rest is already on the market). Or I know people printing the 2by2 white tile which serves as medical records for the Series1 Nurse, which is around 10/15€ on bricklink. It's pretty difficult to understand you're dealing with a counterfeit since it's printed on a 2x2 ORIGINAL LEGO tile. So I just posted because I think it is pretty important that these sails are clearly marked as replicas in an unquestionable way, so that these parts still are usable by non-purists and they do not deceive purists. The only thing we can discuss forever, and that is absolutely NOT trolling on my behalf, is "which percertage of your model is non LEGO"? I mean, since as a "purist" (It's annoying for me to define myself as such) I already know the answer which is 0%, which difference does it make between 1%, 2% and 10%? There are no written rules. Take this: there are people who will use custom sail and riggings because LEGO did not make enough/decent ones. There are people who will use custom minifigure parts (like Brickarms/Brickforge ones, or custom made) because LEGO did not make that specific part, or not in the color you would like to use. There are also people who will print parts to customize them because LEGO not only hasn't made them yet, but probably won't ever (like your logo on a torso). There are people putting non LEGO parts in sections of the MOC that are not visible to the external audience. Even customizers are "puristers" compared to other customizers. I don't assume that I am right or a customizer is wrong. There is no wrong or right, there's just the way everyone deals with it. I just think that LEGO is about stimulizing someone's fantasy, and to be creative.... so if you find a way to represent what you have in mind using the given elements, you're using imagination and creativity. If you build that part from scratch exactly the very way you need it... I don't know. I don't say it's wrong of course. But I can't say I like that either. I hope this clarifies. I beg pardon if I even remotely looked like trolling. Really not my intention. And I am sorry if I made someone feel blue for what I wrote. Not my intention this either. But to play fair, I really mean what I wrote about making replicas being replicas and not counterfeits. The rest is just what Shintaku thinks, and shouldn't really matter to anyone to an extent they feel sad/bad. Really.

We agree on the fact that you should not write the LEGO word on it. Still there is a huge difference between a replica and a counterfeit. A replica is something you clearly instantly recognize as not original. A counterfeit needs a lot of attention. If there is a very small word "replica" on it, still it qualifies as a counterfeit. And I don't think anybody would like that. As for the AFOL/NOT AFOL, it just depends. When you are able to buy something original, but you don't and you buy a replica/counterfeit, IMHO you are not an AFOL. That's the way I do think. As for letting people do what they want, I'm not in any far way condemning anyone or preventing anyone from spending their money the way they want if it doesn't break any laws. I apologize if any of my statements sounds like I would prevent someone from spending his money legally. Custom sails/rigging that LEGO did not produce ever are fine to me. I would never use such, because they are non LEGO elements, but that is up to any people's choice. What I don't like much (not condemn) is to use not something that is entirely custom, but something that TLG as indeed produced, in a replica way. I'll try to express myself crystal clear since english is alas my third language and sometimes I recognize I'm not pretty able to make myself understood. Please understand that this is just the way I think. If you have the Skull's Eye Schooner, and for some reason a sail is damaged, I think it's pretty logical to buy an original one, so you have all original and not just 5 originals and 1 replica. If you do not have the Skull's Eye Schooner and you want to rebrick it, after you spent a lot of money for the other parts (which are expensive) I find quite illogical to buy replica sails. If you own the Skull's Eye Schooner and all your sails are damaged, still having the rest of the original pieces leads to think you'll buy original sails. I find instead useful to have replica sails if you want to MOC something. Like, you have some spare hulls and you want to make a ship that blends in with the Skull's Eye Schooner, then you can buy replica sails. I won't do nevetheless, nor like projects with such in them, but that's ok. Please do remember that these are just my opinions, we're here just to talk and exchange our point of view. So while I'm asked (and I have no problems) in understanding that someone can use non-LEGO parts in their models, I think it's pretty equal for people to understand that there are also guys who would never use a non-LEGO part if building a LEGO model. There are pretty solid reasons for this.

Thanks as usual. Though I don't like the series at all, your review is as usual super helpful.

Honestly since that is only for display, what's the difference between a ship with custom sails and a complete custom ship like third party bricks? I'm not criticizing/polemicizing, since I would never buy replicas I'm trying to understand someone else's point of view.

I disagree. This is what I think. Case 1: All those ships whose sails have been made replicas have dozens of other pieces who are either rare or uncommon so you already need a lot of money to complete a ship and once you make it 99% original you surely don't spoil it for a replica sail. So if you want to make your 90s ship from scratch, you don't buy replicas. Case 2: You already have your ship from the 90s but your sail is damaged. You are not a purist. You want to replace it. Considering the cost of an original one, you don't even think about it. You just buy the replica or you put a custom one on it. Non-purists (AKA Non-AFOLs) do not buy the original sails, so they do not affect the market. If they affect it, surely they do not help lowering the prices. But after all these are just opinions and we do not know for sure. What we know for sure is that a small "REPLICA - NOT ORIGINAL LEGO" on the sail would 100% suffice to solve all problems and it is no big deal for the maker.

I still have concerns. What if someone buys them, then sells them for original ones on bricklink? Then someone buys them thinking they are original? To remove all problems I really believe you should print the word "REPLICA - NOT ORIGINAL LEGO" on them. That indeeds solve the problem and I don't think it would be such an issue. In that small area in which there was something like "1989 Copyright LEGO Group" and so on you can put your own name/nickname/whatever and specity they are replicas. This way you 1) Make yourself known for your work. It's a good thing. 2) Avoid people buying them for originals as a mistake. 3) Clear any suspect you are doing a counterfeit on purpose to sell it for the original price. After all a counterfeit is such if it's pretty difficult to recognize it from an original one. Putting the word "replica" clears any doubts about your intentions. EDIT: I am not in any way implying that you have a malicious intent. Not in my intentions. I just for examble bought the Cross Bone Clipper sail and it costed me a big amount of money because I really want the original LEGO one. I would really be more than disappointed to have a replica. So my intentions are as good as yours as I have already stated before. Putting a disclaimer line on the sail solves really ALL the issues and neither me nor any one on the net can anymore tell you anything about this very topic. Do really think about it, don't dismiss this quickly. SECOND EDIT: I think you make a logical error in your reasoning. This is why. If a purist is never going to buy these, then the price of its original counterpart won't decrease. Their market price can decrease only if the replicas are sneaked within the orignal ones. Replicas of Rolex do not lower the value of the original ones. Nor replicas of stamps for stamp collectors. On the other hand it may lead to an increase of the original parts price, since the sellers in order to distinguish from the replicas can increase the price and tell "Price is this. You can buy replicas if you want".. Which a purist won't do.

Very disappointing series as pretty much everything for next year. Are we really in this need of costumed characters as to take three slots in a non-related series? I'll take multiples of the Tin Man and the Scarecrow just for the spare parts, but that's it.

Nope... it's just I'd love such a f igure!

PEASANT!

I don't want to put a negative comment, but I feel like someone should and since nobody does, I will. I don't find pretty correct to print stuff that already exists. Take the Series 18 Policeman, I stumbled upon a guy who was printing the torso and 1x2 tile so he could sell it for a big price. You are surely a nice guy, nodoby doubts about that, but this may give the idea to someone who wasn't aware of the chance to do such, to mass produce these and flood bricklink and other sources with non original material. Don't get me wrong, but I think as long as you do it for yourself it's nice, but you shouldn't publicize it imho.

Yep, by me. That would be the first unaccurate prediction I make.

I know only 1 out of 20 minifigures from the upcoming series and I'm quite frustrated as this may be the only thing interesting me aside from the Benny's battlepack